McConnell, James V., and Marlys Schutjer (Eds.). Science, Sex, and Sacred Cows: Spoofs on Science from the Worm Runner's Digest. NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. 183pp. 75-160405. ISBN 0-15-179595-9. C.I.P.
This book is unique in the annals of science fiction. It consists of a series of science fiction stories and essays that were designed to further a particular point of view in an important scientific argument. The issue was whether plenaria could learn and, secondly, could memory transfer occur by "cannibalism," that is, by feeding the plenaria that had "learned" to naïve plenaria. This controversy stirred up a great deal of passion on both sides. It involved a Nobel Prize winner, Melvin Calvin (a cousin of mine), and James McConnell (who was a co-author of mine in other areas). At this point, I would like to quote from McConnell's introduction to Science, Sex, and Sacred Cows. "It is my firm conviction that most of what is wrong with Science these days can be traced to the fact that Scientists are willing to make objective and dispassionate studies of any natural phenomena at all-except their own scientific behavior. We know considerably more about flatworms than we do about people who study flatworms. The Establishment never questions its own motives; the true humorist always does." This book is one of a kind and should be read as a distinctive example of how science fiction can be used as a method of advocacy in an important scientific struggle.—Allen D. Calvin, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
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